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An Oklahoma basketball coach and a father of four was found dead and his 8-year-old daughter is still missing after the family car was swept away by raging floods in Texas on Christmas Eve.
Will Robinson, a high school coach from Durant, Oklahoma, and his family were reportedly driving in their SUV Tuesday morning when the vehicle went off the roadway, caught in drainage ditch in Sherman, Texas, and was carried away by strong currents, CBS News reported.
All six members of the family were trapped inside, according to Sherman police. Robinson did not survive, while the other four members of the family were saved. The family’s 8-year-old daughter has not been found.
“We still can’t find the 8-year-old girl,” Lt. Samuel Boyle of the Sherman Police Department told Fox News Digital. “We identified a 15-mile stretch of creek downstream from where the vehicle came to rest and targeted that with a multi-jurisdictional task force.” Sherman police have not yet confirmed the identity of Robinson or his family, Boyle told Fox News Digital.
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Beloved high school coach and father Will Robinson and his family are shown before the tragic accident on Christmas Eve. (Facebook/Will Robinson)
Searching for a young girlwho authorities said had already crossed seven miles of the creek as of Wednesday, continues for a third day as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott authorized state search and rescue teams to help find the child.
“We are shifting our focus to the county, targeting some possible locations that we have not yet searched,” the Sherman Police Department said in a statement Wednesday afternoon, adding, “Our search will continue until dark today, and then we will continue our search before days.”
The cause of Tuesday’s crash was “a combination of heavy downpours and groundwater accumulation,” Boyle told Fox News Digital. “That somehow caused the vehicle to leave the roadway and go into the drainage ditch … and the vehicle got stuck in the flood in the drainage ditch.”
“It’s a tragedy, it really is,” previously said Lt he told KXII News 12.
High school basketball coach Will Robinson, who was found dead after flooding washed away his family’s SUV on Christmas Eve. (Facebook)
“This is just devastating and the fact that it’s happening on Christmas Eve makes it unbearable,” Robinson’s cousin wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “Will was one of the good ones—a devoted husband and father, a beloved basketball coach and just a great person…please keep the entire Robinson family in your thoughts and prayers.”
Numerous local and state agencies, including Texas Task Force 2they are cooperating in the search, the police said. Boyle told Fox News Digital that search teams are active “including dogs and boat or watercraft teams.”
“In crises like these, we are blessed to serve a community eager to help in any way we can. We have dozens of first responders in this search, many of whom are extensively trained searching in dangerous conditionsSherman police continued in their statement, adding that they do not need additional volunteers at this time.
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Will Robinson and his family are pictured before their tragic accident on Christmas Eve. (Facebook/Will Robinson)
The Sherman Police Department asked anyone with relevant information about the case to call their non-emergency number, 903-892-7290.
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“My recommendation is don’t try to drive through standing water. You never know how deep it is, and vehicles aren’t designed for that,” Boyle told Fox News Digital in a message to all drivers. in wet or flooded conditions. “Once you lose control of your ability to drive a car, then you’re just at the mercy of the water. And that can be very, very dangerous for the occupants of the vehicle.
“If you can’t continue on the road because of a lot of standing water that’s going to cross it … pull over and find another way around it. Call the local police. Call the local 911 and ask for referrals if you’re not familiar with the area.”
